Fluid well construction



Jan. 12, 1932. BRYAN 1,840,694

FLUID WELL CONSTRUCTION Filed June 1. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor fiairzwifirya 7a,

Jan. 12, 1932. T. E. BRYAN 1,340,694

FLUID WELL CONSTRUCTION Filed June 1. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AW A@ 2/ Inventor fimaalih Patented Jan. 12,- 1932 PATENT OFFICE THOMAS E. BRYAN, OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS FLUID WELII CONSTRUCTION Application filed June 1, 1931. Serial No. 541,445.

This invention relates to an improved fluid well construction and has more specific refer- ,ence to an improved automatic fluid controlled valve arrangement for use in all kinds 5 of fluid wells including gas, oil and water.

It is common practice in well constructions to provide surface or external means for injecting fluid under pressure into the well tubing to start the flow of fluid from said well, and to thereafter serve, at desired intervals, to stimulate continuous flow of the well fluid when the same fails to develop suflicient natural inertiaor force to flow of its own accord.

In the particular embodiment herein illus- Io trated the improvement resides in one or more automatically operable check valves wherein each valve is closed so long as the fluid emanating from the well develops sufficient force to flow under its own power, said valve serving also to permit outside pressure to enter the well automatically when the well fluid fails to flow under its own natural pressure.

The alleged novelty is predicated upon the specific automatic check valve utilized in this arrangement, as well as the combination of said valve with the well tubing and casing.

The particular details of the valve as well 1 as its association with the tubing and easing will become more readily apparent from the following description and drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1' is a vertical sectional view through a well developed in accordance with the present inventive conception showing two of the automatic fluid control valves in place.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational view showing one of said fluid control valves. Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the valve.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of said valve.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1. y

Figure 6 is a horizontal section through the valve taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Referring first to Figure 1, the numeral 7 designates the well tubing. Thiisis frequent- 1y referred to as'the string of tubing and is the means for conducting the well fluid (gas, water or oil), from the bottom of the well to the surface for usage.

The casing is denoted generally by the numeral 8 and surrounds the tubing in con- 5 centric spaced relation. In practice, I utilize a suitable gas or fluid pressure compressor or pump (not shown) for injecting fluid under pressure between the tubing and casing, and this is allowed to enter the tubing by way of 0 the special automatic fluid control valve 9. This valve is of the construction seen in F igure 3 and is of appropriate proportions and includes an upper body section 10 threaded to a companion lower body section 11.

The bore of these two sections is fashioned to provide upper and lower valve seats 12 and 13 respectively. I The valve unit is of duplex design and includes a cylindrical guide stem 14 provided with valve elements 15 and 16 engaging the respective seats 12 and 13.

Threaded on the outer ends of the valve body are duplicate caps 18 and 19 having as or fluid discharge orifices or ports 20. he upper end of the stem 14 extends through the top cap 18 and the lower end through'the lower cap 19, said lower end being threaded to accommodate a pressure actuated disc 21. This disc is operated by the pressure of the so fluid (generally oil) in the well. These caps are provided with integral lugs 22 mounted in openings inthe well tubing as seen in Figure 1. Incidentally, any number of these automatic control valves may be used in a string of tubing.

The upper section 10 is provided with a screw-threaded hole 23 carrying a threaded pipe connection 24 also threaded into the pressure inlet opening in the tubing 7 as seen in Figure 5.

Under normal conditions, when the fluid in the well is not flowing, the valves 15 and 16 drop down and become disengaged from the valve seats and to permit fluid pressure (gas) from the compressor to pass throughthe valve and to be discharged through the ports 20 in the cap into the well tubing.

This gas under pressure obviously flows down between the tubing 7 and casing '8 and enters the valve 9 by way of the pipe connection 24. Obviously then,- when the valves are unseated, the gas flows out through the ports 20 and into the tubing and builds up sufiicient pressure to stimulate a flow of the well fluid. l/Vhen the flow in the tubing becomes suificiently strong it acts against the valve closing disc 20 lifting the stem 14 and engaging the valves 15 and 16 with their respective seats. This checks further introduction of the external gas.

Under this arrangement it is possible to start the well to flow and whenever the well fluid recedes to an abnormal'low pressure, the valve 19 automatically opens to inject gas indar pressure to reinstate the flow of well llhe gist of the idea is in the provision of one or more valves located in the well tubing and having communication with the gas space between the tubing and casing, the valves being so constructed as to operate automatically to introduce gas under pressure when conditions require, to check said gas when the well is flowing under its own pressure.

It is thought that the description taken in connection with the drawings will enable a clear understanding of the invention to be had. Therefore, a more lengthy description is thought unnecessary.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that minor changes'coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to if desired.

1 claim:

1. As a new product of manufacture, an automatic fluid control valve for well constructions comprising a tubular body having at least one internal valve seat and a screwthreaded opening adapted to accommodate a" gas inlet pipe, apertured closing caps sev cured to oppositeends of said body, the apertures constituting gas outlets, means carried by said caps for attaching the valve to the interior of a string of well tubing, a valve stem slidable through guide openings in said caps and provided'intermediate its end with a valve element co-operable with the valve seat, said stem being provided on its lower end and outwardly of the adjacent cap with adjacent valve seats, the upper section of said body being provided with a screw-threaded hole to accommodate a gas inlet pipe, the lower end of said valve stem being provided with a fluid actuated disc arranged externally of the adjacent end cap. 4

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

THOMAS E. BRYAN. 

